A New Beginning to an Old Tale
by Culain
Summary: Starting just a few years before the Scorpion Coup, this Alternate Universe story tells the tale anew, pointing out the things that could've happened in a different way with a little more divine intervention. But who was the strange deity who started it?


**Disclaimer: **I do not own Legend of the Five Rings, and am in no way affiliated with nor employed by the Alderac Entertainment Group. The canonical characters, items, locations and the likes are property of AEG. I make no profit off of this, and no copyright infringement is intended. Technically, the story concept is mine, but since I don't make any money out of this, it is a moot point.

**A New Beginning to an Old Tale**

_Somewhere in the Shadowlands, Year 1117 of the Isawa Calendar…_

In the depths of the Shadowlands, two lone Samurai sat before the corpse of a third.

One of them, a young adult of already impressive size. Hida Yakamo, oldest son of Hida Kisada, the Great Bear. The other, a girl of but 10 years, her wit already as sharp as any, and while she lacked the strength of her older brother, the weapon she bore, a die tsuchi, was easily proof that she was not to be underestimated. O-Ushi. The one already called 'the Bully', though never when she was in earshot.

They were watching over the corpse of their fallen comrade, O-Ushi not yet comprehending why, and Yakamo knowing all too well. Yet neither of them knew that they were not the only ones watching. Oni no Gorusei, a towering beast of stone and fire, easily three times as large as even the tall Yakamo, was cowering only a bit in the distance.

It was not exactly easily hidden, however the two Crab were otherwise occupied. Chikara, Ancestral Sword of the Crab ever since the first Hiruma presented the weapon Kaiu created to Hida, glowed softly to warn its bearer of the presence of another tainted beast, but unfortunately, Yakamo had sheathed the weapon, and his gaze was occupied, shifting between his dead comrade and his little sister, who watched, transfixed and confused, but nevertheless patient.

A low rumble almost escaped the oni's mighty throat, but it managed to conceal it well enough. It had heard of the Great Bear's son, and it wanted to take the Crab by surprise, if anything. It did not understand why they were watching the corpse, but it knew well enough that it would soon rise. It could feel the Master's taint cursing through dead veins…that was when it would strike, when the Crab were distracted, yes.

Usually, it had wanted to attack them earlier, when it had sent its goblin minions at the group. But something had made it stop. Perhaps it wanted to play with them some more, or take advantage of the fact they would eventually tire.

There…the corpse began to hiss and rise, startling the girl. Yakamo encouraged her to slay it, at least that's what the Oni thought…clearly the girl had some trouble. Her first time fighting one of those shambling zombies, the oni mused. It would make certain it would be the last time.

Just as the girl seemed to finally manage getting rid of the zombie, Gorusei decided it would be time for it to strike.

Breaking from its hiding spot, the oni charged at the two Crab. O-Ushi, sitting on her rear where she had fallen after slaying the zombie, did not yet comprehend that the shaking ground, shuddering under each impact of the oni's heavy strides, spelt new danger, however Yakamo was not so careless. He turned around, drawing Chikara from its sheath, cursing himself a fool for disregarding his surroundings so carelessly, and worse, in the presence of his little sister.

Weary from the long night as he was, Yakamo nevertheless stood as the giant oni charged, raising his tetsubo in challenge. The oni would not find the son of the Crab Champion easy prey…

Provided it found him at all. Something impacted heavily with its forehead, the stone-like substance cracking as the beast grunted and fell to its knees. Even Yakamo was confused, and he lowered his gaze, searching out whatever it was that had stopped the oni's charge. He blinked, once, twice, and then shook his head.

He thought the Shadowlands were befuddling his senses, for there, just a short distance in front of the oni, and not that much more distanced from himself, stood a dirty child, its kimono and hakama torn and filthy, its long, black hair clumped together by mud and grease.

The boy, for it seemed to be one, as far as Yakamo could tell, just stood there, in front of the tall, deadly oni, shaking his right fist and wincing as if he had hit lightly against a stone wall, instead of hard enough to crack the oni's forehead. How could that be? Disregarding the fact that no child could jump that high, that fast, with that much force behind the jump –not even Yakamo was capable of such a feat, nor did he believe anyone was- there was also the deal that the boy's hand should've been broken, every bone shattered before he could manage to even slightly crack an oni's carapace…especially one made of stone and fire.

And yet, there the boy stood, acting as if it was nothing extraordinary…and the oni raised his claw to crush the kid. "Out of the way!" Yakamo yelled, rushing as if to save the boy, even though he would never make it in time. The oni's massive claw fell, the kid just barely having enough time to look up.

The force of the blow split the earth, and sent Yakamo stumbling. Behind him, O-Ushi had attempted to stand, but quickly fell onto her rear, yet again. The great Crab slowed, so as not to fall, heaving a heavy sigh. The kid couldn't have survived that.

The oni seemed to think the same, for its features, vaguely resembling those of an ox, were split into a cruel grin. However, then its expression became one of blank horror. Yakamo would see why when the dust settled.

There, on the oni's massive claw, sat the boy, cowering on all fours like some stealthy predator. He grinned, wide and shining, opening his mouth…and biting down hard into the oni's stone-like skin. There was a loud crushing sound…and Yakamo somehow knew it did not originate from the kids' teeth breaking.

The beast howled with fury, shooting straight upward, its claw with it…just as the boy had apparently planned, for as he was thrown above the oni's head, he released a joyful whoop, raising his fists above his own head, and bringing them down, hard, onto the oni's skull.

Yakamo would have been dumb-founded at the ear-piercing scream the oni released, and the thundering crack that accompanied it…except he did not make the error to let himself be distracted again, and was on full charge.

The kid stood triumphantly on the oni's uneven shoulders, grinning, believing himself the victor…and then, for the first time since he had joined the fight, his grin wavered and died, replaced with the horrified expression of someone who realized they had made a grave mistake.

The oni was cackling. Its skull was split, and it was still cackling. "Fortunes…" the boy swore. That was all he managed to say, before a large fist caught him dead on, swatting him aside like a nasty fly. He arched through the air, never screaming, until he collided with the ground hard, close to O-Ushi, who recoiled from him despite herself.

The oni was still cackling, but this time, it was the one who had made the mistake. Yakamo had made use of the distraction, not relying on the kid anymore, and had closed in on the oni. His tetsubo collided with the oni's shin, shattering it, and as the oni howled again, sinking to its knees, feeling as if the whole world was against it today, Chikara sang through the air, severing the oni's head, ending its unholy existence. With a dull thud, the head fell to the ground, followed by a thundering rumble as the rest of the body fell beside it.

The son of the Crab Champion breathed deeply, standing at the side of the oni's collapsing corpse. Perhaps he would've won anyway, or he would've lost, because he was foolish enough to drop his guard for but a moment. The boy had definitely aided him, at the very least.

Speaking of which…

The boy was groaning, silently, his eyes squeezed shut. O-Ushi, curiously, had crept closer, reaching out with shaking fingers. Gently, perhaps as gentle as anyone had ever seen the one called the Bully, she brushed a few sticky strands of hair from the boy's forehead and face. Her gaze was curious, intrigued. The boy was definitely younger than her, yet he had performed expressive feats…and the fact he was still alive after a blow that would've easily crushed an adult Crab's entire bones just showed that he could withstand many things. Perhaps more than her father could…

"O-Ushi!" Yakamo's bellowing voice ripped her out of her thoughts. "Away from him!" he commanded, and despite her curiosity, she did not disobey her brother, slowly moving away from the semi-conscious boy again.

With cautious strides the future Crab Champion advanced on the boy, Chikara still in his hand. The jade-inlays glowed an eerie green light, despite the fact that the oni was dead. There was no doubt about it, the boy was tainted, nothing else could explain the feats he performed. He seemed no older than five or six. About as old as Sukune, or perhaps a bit younger. "A shame…" the great Crab cursed, lifting his sword to end the poor kid's suffering…

…when suddenly, the clouds broke open, the mist parted, and the sun, which was never seen unobscured in the Shadowlands, shone on the boy's body, and only on him, as bright as Yakamo had ever seen it, even outside of the Shadowlands.

His blow wavered and died, and the surly Crab's visage contorted in thought. The boy was tainted, that much was sure…but could he kill him, despite this obvious and rare blessing of Amaterasu, the Lady Sun?

He sighed, and sheathed Chikara. "O-Ushi?"

"Yes, Yakamo-san?" came the instant reply, the girl looking at her older brother instantly. She was still curious, now even more, and, even though Yakamo couldn't have seen it, she had stared in wonder at Amaterasu's blessing.

"Take an untarnished finger of jade, and make a small cut somewhere on his body. Hold the jade into the wound." He instructed, his face unwavering and strict. He watched in satisfaction as the girl nodded and quickly obeyed, grasping one of the small tanto she carried. The boy moaned just a bit more at the cut, and O-Ushi was just about to hold her jade into the small wound, when Yakamo held his hand out to stop her. She blinked, scowling at him.

"What…" she began, but Yakamo cut her off.

"His blood. It is red. The blood of someone touched by Jigoku takes on another color, a darker color. So either I have been wrong, or there is something about this boy that we have not discovered yet." he stated, calmly, despite the fact that he was somewhat troubled. What could this mean? And was it really wise to take the boy with them? But how could he know if he didn't try?

O-Ushi looked down again, her features scrunched as she looked closely at the blood as if to discover any small impurity that could've escaped her big brother's notice. There was none. Without waiting for Yakamo's instructions, she placed the jade into the wound, nevertheless. She knew that somewhere along the lines, he should shriek in pain now, and his blood would likely sizzle at the touch of pure jade…but all that happened was that he moaned in discomfort, which could just as well be because she was pressing something into a cut in his skin. She looked up towards Yakamo again.

"What do we do now, brother?" she asked, only to be met with his mischievous grin.

"Isn't that obvious, O-Ushi-chan? You'll carry him."

As O-Ushi scowled, trying to figure out the best way to carry the smaller boy, she was sure Yakamo's laughter could be heard all the way to the Kaiu Wall and beyond

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**Clarification of Terms**

Hida Yakamo: Oldest son of Hida Kisada. Next Champion of the Crab Clan. He is only about 17, 3 years past his gempukku, but already his towering form is impressive, and countless enemies have fallen before him.

Hida O-Ushi: The Bully, young O-Ushi earned her nickname because, while she was without a doubt more mature than most children her age, she was still every bit as quick-tempered as her father and older brother. At only 10 years, O-Ushi still has to wait 4 years until her official gempukku, but what she saw in the Shadowlands was enough to make her understand that she was a Crab. She was the Wall. She could not fall. She wields a fearsome die tsuchi, testament to the strength of the Hida.

Hida Kisada: The Great Bear, current Champion of the Crab Clan. He is easily the tallest man in all of Rokugan. Not even his son has yet managed to catch up with his size. Skilled in personal combat as well as a great tactician, he is a fearsome warrior indeed. He has the famous Hida temper, however it hides a keen and calculating mind, in his case.

Oni no Gorusei: A fearsome demon directly from the pit. It is extremely tall, and apparently made of stone and fire. It has a somewhat humanoid body, and a head resembling an ox. Despite its giant size, and the fact that it is not an enemy one should engage carelessly, it is neither a unique oni, nor is it strong enough to be a direct threat to anything more than a few untrained bushi. It usually attracts and commands all kinds of minions, sometimes sending them forward to weaken potential enemies. It does not care if they die in the process.

The Kaiu Wall: And impressive structure guarding the Southwestern boarder of Rokugan against the Shadowlands. It has never been breached yet. As long as there is still a Crab defending it, it likely never will.

Chikara: The Ancestral Sword of the Crab Clan. A magnificent Katana, with jade-inlays that will never rot or tarnish, no matter how long it is exposed to the Shadowlands Taint. It is traditionally worn by the Crab Champion's heir, and is currently in the hands of Hida Yakamo. The jade-inlays glow when a tainted beast is closing in on the wielder.

Tanto: A small knife carried by Samurai, it serves as a last-resort weapon to most due to its small size.

Die Tsuchi: A heavy warhammer, typically carried by warriors of the Crab. Heavy weapons are especially effective against the thick-skinned beasts of the Shadowlands. O-Ushi carries a slightly smaller version. Considering her size and age, that is already a feat befitting of a child of Hida Kisada.

**Author's notes:** Well, that is that. The first chapter in a hopefully long series of other small chapters. Just a small note to anyone, I decided to use as little Japanese terms as possible, but I will keep the suffixes as well as the names for some things. I will NOT keep words like 'Hai' or 'Iye', because they would just be confusing, and I try not to mix the two languages as much as possible while still preserving some of the flavor. To those who do not know it, the family name comes before the actual name. In western language, Hida Kisada would be Kisada Hida, and Hida O-Ushi would be O-Ushi Hida.

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**Important Note: **I currently have no Beta Readers, who could correct me on all the small errors that slip my notice. If you want to volunteer, let me know.


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